A swallowtail butterfly landed on a purple petunia. Then it flew to another. It ignored the pink and red petunias, red geraniums and other multi-colored flowers on my balcony.

What a fascinating and dangerous journey it had to become a butterfly. I doubt it was aware of its process. It just did what it needed to do to live. It grew from the tiny egg to the crawling caterpillar. It encapsulated itself in a cocoon, struggled out of it, and stretched its wings to build up strength to fly away.

I’m sure it has no idea of the joy its beauty brings to all who see it. We can learn from the butterfly. We never know what may result from what seems like small act or just living our daily lives the best we know how. Usually we won’t know how our life struggles and experience may guide us to help others. A return greeting to a drug store clerk may make her day. Calling persons who may be having a hard time lets them know they are important. Letting someone know you are thinking about them assures them they aren’t alone. These and many other seemingly small acts can bring beauty into others lives like seeing a beautiful butterfly on a purple petunia.

As you see the butterflies, I invite you to reflect on how you, too, bring beauty into others’ lives.

Becoming a butterfly was last modified: August 25th, 2018 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal

I live in an Indiana city. However, for most of my life I’ve lived in the rural parts of the plain states. Sometimes I long for the wide open spaces of nearby sandhills and of hayfields with distant shelter belts of trees. I miss the song of the meadow larks, the ability to see miles in all directions, the occasional tree by the road, the sparse traffic and the sense of peace in spaciousness.

Here, I’ve needed to become aware of and appreciate a different kind of beauty. Trees abound, ponds are plentiful, traffic seems constant and there are different songbirds.

My relationship with my current geographical space grows with the variety of nature here. I’ve delighted in the budding of the redwood trees and the lacey white dogwoods as they introduce the spring season. I enjoy watching the goldfinches compete with the red-headed house finches at the bird feeder. I’ve yet to learn the names of the warblers that sing early in the mornings. I’ve enjoyed the playful squirrels chasing each other. However, I’ve not appreciated their destroying the bird feeder to get to the bird seed.

I’ve learned to marvel at the greenness of the overhanging trees as I drive home. I like to think of the trees as reaching out to give an invitation of hope. I’ve observed the leaves turn from green to colorful autumn pink, orange, red and brown. I’ve watched them fall to the ground as winter approached.

I’ve reflected on the leafless trees in winter, trees with their roots deep in the earth. Trees, who seem to be resting to burst forth with life in the spring.

Robert M. Hamma in Landscapes of the Soul: A Spirituality of Place writes about learning from children to simply be in place and be in relationship with all in that space, as children do.

In the Genesis creation story (Genesis 1:1-ff) after God creates, God said that it was all good. There is beauty all around if I look for it.

My challenge is to honor the earth where I live now and honor all creation. It’s to use wisely what I need and recycle what I can.

Creator God, thank you for the variety and beauty of all creation. Help me to honor all creation. Guide me to live simply and use all things wisely. Amen.

Spirituality where I live was last modified: July 18th, 2018 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal

For many people, this week begins the 40 days preparation for Easter. The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes on their foreheads, reminding all “that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:10) or “repent and believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ.” This ancient ceremony is a sign of our mortality. This season can be a time of renewal and penitence “In repentance and rest is your salvation. In quietness and trust is your strength.” (Is 30:15) It is a time many focus on the life, sufferings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some talk about metanoia – conversion of the heart.

What does this really mean? How does our heart need conversion? How can this heart conversion deepen our relationship with Jesus? Are we not already living the best we know how? Prayerfully we ask God for guidance or discernment. Often it’s the little things that we need most to change.

We might be led to set aside five minutes a day for prayer and reflection on how God has gifted us that day. Maybe we need to be more accepting and understanding of ourselves and our needs, like getting enough sleep. Perhaps we need to be more understanding of others. Perhaps God is inviting us to be more mindful and present in what we already do.

During this Lenten season, we can turn to Jesus and ask Him for strength to let go and be open to a change of heart, a new life and deeper relationship with Him.

I believe the more we are aware of God’s love for each of us individually, the more we’ll be able to live out that love in our daily lives and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all around us.

Let us together “Repent and believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ,” and share that with others.

Have mercy on me, O God,
Because of your constant love;
In the greatness of our compassion
Wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
And of my sin cleanse me.

I recognize my faults
I am always conscious of my sins
Against you only have I sinned
And done what is evil in your sight.

A faithful heart is what you want;
Fill my mind with your wisdom,
Create a pure heart in me, O God,
And put a new loyal spirit in me.

You do not want sacrifices
Or I would offer them
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit’
A heart contrite and humbled,
O God you will not spurn.
–Psalm 51:1-4, 6, 10, 16-17

Many, many years ago a friend shared that receiving spiritual direction had helped her grow in her relationship with God. This was a new thought for me. I explored that spiritual practice. Since that time I’ve found it invaluable as part of my spiritual journey.

Spiritual direction is a spiritual practice in which an individual or group share how they are living their lives in order to grow in their relationship with God, the Divine and/or deepen their spiritual life.

Spiritual director is a title for a spiritual guide/companion or mentor. The practice of spiritual direction has been a practice for thousands of years though it wasn’t given that title. In Hebrew Scriptures we find many examples such as Samuel being guided by Eli (I Samuel 3:1-18)or Joseph who interpreted dreams (Genesis 40:1-41:37).

In the early days of the church people would go to the desert to consult with the desert mothers and fathers for spiritual guidance. These desert mothers and fathers had gone into the desert to deepen their own relationship with God and thus were known as ones who could also guide others.

Even today, people who want to deepen their spirituality or focus more intentionally on their relationship with God, look for a guide or mentor.

Receiving spiritual direction is an opportunity to share one’s spiritual hopes, struggles, joys and concerns. It helps one be accountable in growing spiritually and deepening one’s relationship with the Divine. In spiritual direction the directee shares with the director what has been important in their spiritual life since the last meeting. They may share their prayer life, dreams, life experiences and where they are aware of the Divinity in their life.

A spiritual director listens to what is said and reflects back. The Spiritual director is also aware of God’s spirit being the real director. Thus the spiritual director does not usually give directions but through asking questions helps the individual find the directions that are already in one’s heart.

I find that talking with a spiritual director on a regular basis helps me stay focused on how God is working in my life and helping me in ministry. It helps me be aware of when I think that all I do depends on me, rather than on God. It helps me remember and be thankful for the gifts God gives me.

Now, not only is spiritual direction a very regular spiritual practice for me, I’ve also become a spiritual director for others who want to use this spiritual practice to deepen their spiritual life. I encourage all who are interested to engage in this spiritual practice of meeting regularly with a spiritual director.

Spiritual Direction as a Spiritual Practice was last modified: December 17th, 2017 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal

Summer is a very colorful time of the year in Indiana. My balcony flowers are showing the brilliant summer colors. The crimson and deep pink geraniums are growing cup-sized blossoms. The rose-bud geranium is starting to bud. The variegated purple and pink petunias are waving over their containers. The yellow and purple pansies have survived the summer heat so far. The brilliant yellow and orange marigolds are glowing in the sunlight. The pink and salmon-colored begonias are overflowing their planters. The grass is such a bright green.

The white cumulus clouds float across the bright blue sky.

The sturdy geraniums encourage us to be strong in the midst of difficult times.

The rose-bud geranium challenges us to be patient with new growth.

The variegated, waving petunias bring us joy.

The tiny pansies show us that there is beauty even in small things.

The golden marigolds brighten our cloudy days.

The full-blossomed begonias remind us of God’s overflowing love.

The multi-shades of green grass give us hope.

The billowing clouds invite us to send our thoughts and prayers to God.

God of Color and Beauty,

Thank you for the summer colors and plants that encourage us, lift our spirits, and bring us joy.

May this summer be a time in which we enjoy the great gift of summer beauty. Amen.

Summer Beauty was last modified: July 2nd, 2017 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal

This is the season of Lent. Lent means different things to different people. When Lent began, did you think of Jesus, his suffering, death and resurrection? Did you think of penance? Did you think of giving up something or stopping smoking or eating less? Did you think of doing an extra kind act for someone daily? Doing something hard for forty days seems like a long time. If you did, what led you to make that resolution?

What is Lent all about? The word means spring or springtime. This is the time of the year in Indiana when winter is almost over and new life is starting to show itself in nature around us, to come out a little brighter. Spring reminds us of new life coming from seeds and bulbs planted earlier, new branches and tiny leaves on trees. The sky looks a deeper blue. It’s a thrill to see the trees and bushes start to bud. It can be a time in which we want to grow spiritually. Lent can be a time for new spiritual life as we consider our past and begin again to renew an aspect in our lives.

In Joel 2:12-13 we read, “Yet, even now, says the Lord, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping and mourning. Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment.”

“Return to me with your whole heart…” What does it mean to turn to God with our whole hearts? We pray. We worship God in private and sometimes in public. But turning to God with our whole heart means more.

When we love someone deeply we want to be with that person often. If we’re away from that person, our thoughts will often turn to that person. We’ll wonder what he or she is doing and how their day is going. The more we are with that person, the more we’ll learn to know and love that person. We’ll learn what things please our special person and what makes that person sad. We’ll probably want to do things that will make that person happy, that will let that person know of our love. We’ll want that person to love us, too. In this way we are turning our hearts to that person.

So, too, with God. We can turn our hearts toward God. How has God worked and entered our lives? Sometimes God may do it in a big way, but usually God comes to us in little ways. This is a good time to reflect on the times that we haven’t really wanted God to come into our lives very deeply for it might have meant a change in us. It might have meant a deep realization that God is God and in control and we are not. Maybe there is a certain part of our lives that we want to keep to ourselves. This is a good time to talk it over with God.

God loves us. God loves us so much that Jesus came to convince us of God’s great love for us. We haven’t done anything to earn this love. God loves us first, and because God loves us, we can turn to God and love God in return.

As we examine our lives during this Lenten season, we can see how God truly has been with us with strength and help. Even though at times God seems far away, God is near! By thinking of God, talking to God in times of suffering, sorrow and joy and trying to be more alert to God’s presence, we will be returning to God with our whole hearts, as Joel encourages us to do.

Enjoying the new life springing forth in nature, we can consider the new life that God is giving us. I share this prayer with you, based on Hildegard of Bingen’s focus on God’s creation.

“O God, may I never forget how precious is the earth to you. Help me to cherish every bit of earth so that in doing so I will be reminded of You who created and sustains this garden of delights, which I call home. And may the care I show for it be a reflection of my love for all living things.” Praying with Hildegard of Bingen by Gloria Durka

Lenten Reflections was last modified: March 26th, 2017 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal

This month we’ve had a change in the way we keep clock time. We’ve “sprung forward” an hour. Though not officially the beginning of spring on this Sunday, it reminds us of the beginning of spring.

Spring in Indiana brings hope as color rises forth in nature. Crocuses show forth in lavender. The daffodils and jonquils are bursting out in yellow and white. Tulip leaves are pushing through the hardened winter soil. The trees are starting to bud and sprout leaves. Song birds are returning with their joyful melodies. The earth fluctuates from late winter to early spring temperatures. We even get some snow though it doesn’t last.

How can this encourage us to spring forward in our spiritual lives?

Are you feeling like the frozen ground waiting to thaw? Maybe the rain would encourage the thawing if you would feel the sadness of a frozen heart. Letting the tears come could soften your heart and let you know that God is present in the sadness and tears.

Perhaps you are feeling like the trees whose roots deepened over the winter and are getting new life from the nutritious earth. Your encouragement to spring forward may be by reflecting on the ways God has nourished you in the midst of winter.

Do you feel like the tulip leaves carefully peeking up from the ground? Your encouragement to spring forward little by little may be as God guides you gently through quiet and prayer.

Are you feeling like the spring daffodils with their bright yellow color spreading joy to all who see them? Your springing forth may be sharing your own joy of God’s gifts to you.

Or are you like the cheerful songbirds encouraging others by offering the music of your life through your presence and not asking anything in return?

I invite you to take some time this season to reflect with gratitude on how God has encouraged you to spring forward in your own awareness of God’s gifts to you.

Creator God, thank you for the many beautiful examples of your love you’ve given us in nature this season. May they inspire and encourage us to spring forward to deepen our own love for you and all creation. Amen.

Spring Forward was last modified: March 19th, 2017 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal

Most religions have a ceremony or a time in which the faithful reflect on their actions during the past year. This is often combined with a time of discipline which may be fasting, almsgiving, and prayer.

Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent for many in the Christian church. The forty days of fasting or penitence (not counting Sundays) may begin with the imposition of ashes on the foreheads of the faithful.

Many Christian denominations use this ancient ceremony of placing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful with the words from Genesis (3:10) “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Receiving ashes may be part of the act of confession, of penitence and as a sign of our mortality. The Ash Wednesday service connects us with the past, with our present, and with our hope for new life in our Risen Christ.

Burnt palm ashes from the palms of the previous Palm Sunday symbolize our past history. While anointing with ashes was widely used after the seventh century, there is evidence that it originated in Gaul in the sixth century.

This ancient ceremony has another valuable reminder for us. Dust is of the earth. Receiving the ashes reminds us that we, too, are from the earth. The earth is very important to us. Our earth is a gift from God. Yet, we forget we need to take care of it and all creation, too.

The words of Isaiah still hold true, “The earth is mourning, pining away,…the earth is defiled under its inhabitants, for they have transgressed the laws, violated the decree, broken the everlasting covenant.” (Is. 24: 4-5)

More and more we are made aware of the ecological disasters of the earth such as the depletion of ozone layer, the destruction of the rain forests, climate changes, the massive oil spills and the chemical spills in the rivers Each of us is led in different ways to take care of our part of the earth. May being blessed with ashes help us renew our care of the earth.

In preparing for Ash Wednesday, I was reading some of the writings of Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th century prophet, healer, preacher and mystic. Hildegard understood that for those who live in Christ, all creation is God’s work, and that the earth especially is waiting with eagerness to be saved. . Hildegard writes “Creation reveals the hidden God just as clothes hint at the shape of a person’ body.” Praying with Hildegard of Bingen by Gloria Durka ISBN-10 0884892549

During this holy season, we are invited to repentance, reflection and renewal. It is a time to reflect on our failings, not only in relationships with God and each other, but how we relate to ourselves and all creation. Our relationship with God is effected by how we relate with all around us.

I invite your reflections to include how God has led you to positive relationships with others and creation. Also, remember that though you are dust, at the same time you are God’s special creation. You are God’s handiwork whom God loves and in whom God delights. (Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 18:19 (or vs.20 in some Bibles); Ephesians 2:10

The more we are really aware of God’s love for each of us individually, the more we’ll be able to live that out in our daily lives and share it with others

Prayer:

Loving God, may these ashes remind us of our connection to you and our earthly home. Thank you for delighting and loving each of us and for giving us our beautiful earth.

As we go through this season of Lent create in us new and contrite hearts. Help us remember that our strength for repentance, reflection and renewal is in quietness and trust in you. (Isaiah 30:15) Amen.

Ash Wednesday was last modified: March 11th, 2017 by The Rev. Dr. Mary Lorraine Coufal